Box squaring devices



Dec, 27, 1955 Filed Jan. 8, 1953 c'. D. Nl'rcHlE ET AL BOX SQUARINGDEVICES 2 Sheets-Sheet l gm 7WM ATTORNEY Des. 27, 1955 c. D. NITCHIE ETAL BOX SQUARING DEVICES 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Jan. 8, 1953 R aka? VENTATTORNEY Ckark gw United States Patent BOX SQUARING DEVICES Charles D.Nitchie, Haddonfield, N. 1., and Walter J. Goettsch, Kenilworth, Ill.,assignors to Samuel M. Langston Co., Camden, N. 1., a corporation of NewJersey Application January 8, 1953, Serial No. 336,248

6 Claims. (Cl. 93-36) A common type of box blank has four wall sectionswith parallel scored lines therebetween, each terminating in a slot ateach end, and has transverse score lines connecting the first mentionedones at the inner ends of the slots. The blank at one edge may have ailap for attachment by adhesive to the opposite edge of the blank, orthe edges may be connected together by tape after being folded. Inmaking a collapsed box from the blank shown, glue is applied to the flapand the blank is folded to bring the opposite edges together, and theflap on one end is glued to the opposite end panel. If the blank be ofthe type which is to be taped there is no flap and no glue is applied.In either case, and due to the character of the sheet material, whichmay be double faced corrugated paper, the fold lines may not be exactlyparallel, and therefore it is necessary to square the blank by slightslipping of the abutting panels before they are secured together by theflap or by a strip of tape.

The main object of this invention is to provide means for automaticallyeffecting this adjustment of the fold lines of the blank before theedges are secured together.

In the preferred embodiment of the invention there is provided a stop inthe path of movement of the folded over portions of the blank, and meansare provided for releasing the stop after the blank has been squared andthe stop has been moved by the blank to a limited extent, asdistinguished from the construction shown in prior copending applicationSerial No. 310,775, filed September 22, 1952 by Charles D. Nitchie assole inventor, and in which there are separate stops in the paths ofmovement of the fold lines. The front edges of all parts of the blankare brought into a position exactly at right angles to its path ofmovement, and the flap may be pressed down to permanently connecttogether the opposite edges of the blank.

In the accompanying drawings we have shown merely one embodiment of ourimproved machine. In these drawings:

Fig. l is a perspective view of the main features of a machine embodyingour invention, portions being broken away.

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of a portion of the machine, and showing a boxblank with the panels askew to an exaggerated extent.

Fig. 3 is a perspective view, and on a larger scale, of a portion of thecontrol mechanism appearing at the upper left hand corner of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a vertical longitudinal section showing the target support andcontrol.

Fig. 5 is a plan view of the blank before folding, and on a smallerscale, and

Fig. 6 is a wiring diagram.

The blank to be taped has four panels A, B, C and D, with intermediatescore lines to form the four side walls of the box, the panel D having aflap E for attachment to the edge of panel A. This flap is omitted ifthe edges of the blank are to be connected by a strip of adhesive coatedtape. Each of the panels has a pair of flaps, one i at each end,integral therewith at transverse score lines; and they are separatedfrom each other by slots, whereby the flaps may be folded to form thetop and bottom of the box.

The blank as shown in Fig. 2 is not accurately folded, and thus theadvance portion of the flap A on the wall A may engage and be stopped bya target before the flap D on the wall D reaches that target. Likewise,it might be so folded that the flap D would engage the target ahead ofthe flap A.

As one important feature of the invention the target has limitedmovement with the blank, and means are provided for stopping it after ithas moved a short distance and holding it against further movement whilethe belt moves the other portions of the blank, and until the entirefront edge of the blank has engaged it and has moved it that limiteddistance.

in connection with the machine there is provided a table 10 for a stackof folded blanks, or on which the blanks may be folded in succession,either manually or by suitable mechanism, to bring the opposite edgesto-.

gether; and glue is applied to the flap E or the part to which it is tobe secured, but the flap is not pressed down. Adjacent to one edge ofthe table there is an idler roller 11 which is at such an elevation thatthe top of the table is substantially tangent thereto. This rollerintermediate of its ends has a shallow peripheral groove 12 to receive abelt 13 for conveying the blanks, the groove being of such depth thatthe upper surface of the belt is in a plane substantially tangent to theroller.

Our improved apparatus is mounted astride of the conveyor, and eitherbeyond the glue applier or before the taper. 1

Above the roller 11 is a shaft 14 journaled ina bearing 15 carried by anarm 16 pivoted to swing vertically, and pressed down by a spring 17engaging the bearing 15.

Onthis shaft are a pair of rubber covered rollers 18, 18'- which may beadjusted toward and from eachother for box blanks or different widths,and which are pressed down onto the roller 11 by said spring. The shaftmay be driven in any suitable manner, as for instance by a motor 19mounted on the frame of themachine, through a belt 20 and pulleys 21 and22. Pulley 2.1 is connected to the motor shaft by an overrunning clutch23 so thatwhen a folded blank is taken from the table 15) and advancedby the belt 13, the rollers 18, 18' and the roller 11 will all run atthe surface speed of the blank while in contact with such blank, untilthe forward movement of'the blank is arrested by the steps 30 and 3%).The overrunning clutch 23 then delivers power from the motor 19 so thatthe rollers 18 and 18' turn at a very much reduced speed, urging forwardsuch of the box panels as are not already in contact with the stops 3t)and '39.

The belt 13 is shown as very much narrower than the folded blank, andthe outer fold lines may be supportedby and slide along the framemembers 24, which members, as well as the rollers 18, 18, may beadjusted toward and from each other for squaring blanks of differentsizes. The belt might be very much wider if desired;

The downward-movement of the rollers 18, 1d by the action of the spring17 is limited, but is sufficient to maintain the belt 20 taut and topermit gripping the. blank intermediate of the edges of the panels Aand-D- and between the rollers 18, 18' and the roller' 11, to advancethe blank. For limiting this movement of the rollers 18, 18 thereby toregulate the spacing between. them and the roller 11, the arm 16 issecured .to a shaft.

25 journaled in the side walls of an upper frame member 26, which ispreferably a channel with upstanding side walls, and the shaft 25 has anarm 27 in the channel andf provided with an adjustable screw 28 forengaging'theI. bottom wall of the channel so that the minimum spacingPatented Dec. 2' 7,

noted that the blank is not gripped at the adhesive coated" flap, sothat the latter is not, pressed down, and it can slip. on the panelA asthe blankis being squared.

Beyond the; rollers18,.18. is. a target .which is shown ashaving twosections 3%, but these may be integral. it is supported by an overheadshaft 31 which has a short dependingarm 32 connected to aspring33..which yieldingly resists but permits the swinging of the target withthe blank. The machine is advanced to a position in which the target isspaced from the rollers 18, 18 to a distance less than the length of theblank, so that the tar get stops any portion of the front edge which isin advance of any other portion of said edge while the rollers 18, 18'continue to act on and urge forward such parts of the front edge as havenot engaged the. target.

When the flap A engages the target the latter stops otherthan limitedfurther movement of the edge of this flap, and the belt 13. continues topush panels B and C forward until they engage the target squarely. Theroller 13 acts to push the wall D forward until the front edge of theflap D engages the target, at which time the blank is properly squaredwith all portions of the front edge against the target. At that time thetarget is released so that the blank may swing the target out of itspath. Obviously the squaring operation is the same whether the fiap A orthe flap D is in advanced position.

Various means may be employed for stopping and then releasing thetarget, but as illustrated, the target shaft 31 has. an upwardlyextending arm 34, and in the path of movement of this arm there is astop 35 which may be moved to inoperative position by a solenoid 36, andagainst the action of a spring 36a, after the blank has been squared, sothat the squared blank may be delivered from the machine.

In order to give adequate time for the blank to be straightened by thepushing of it against the target, the closing of the circuit of solenoid36 to withdraw the stop 35 is delayed for a brief interval. During thisinterval the flap which is in advanced position moves the target alimited distance, but the circuit of the solenoid 36 remains open, andthe belt 13 and therollers 18 and 18' continue to push forward thoseportions of the blank which have notbeen advanced far enough, and untilthe entire front edge is against the target.

When the flap A engages the target section 30' the latter will be in theposition shown in solid lines in Fig. 4. As the belt and roller urge theblank forward it pushes the target to the position 30a against theaction of the spring 33. In this movement the arm 34 on the target movesaway from the push button 37 and against the stop 35, and to theposition [1 shown in Fig. 4. This closes the switch 38 but does notimmediately result in the release of the target, and the blank is urgedforward against the target until the blank has been straightened; Aftera time interval sufficient to insure the proper straightening of theblank by the continuing action of the belt and rollers the target isreleased so that the blank can swing it to position 3012, and out of thepath ofthe blank.

Various means may be employed for insuring the prop: er time intervalafter the engagement of the arm 34 with the stop 35, and before-therelease of the stop. One such meansis shown in the-wiring'diagram, Fig.6. As shown, when'arm 34 moves away from the push button 37; the

switch 38 closes a circuit through a magnet 40'; This magnet actstoclose a switch 41 in the circuit of the sole noid 36 which thenwithdraws the stop 35'fr'om'the path ofmovement ofthe arm 34on thetarget. A spring 42 normally holds the switch 41 open so that thecircuit of the magpet 40.is open. The, switch 41. is. connected to the.plunger in a dash. pot 43.lwhich.retards but does not preventv the.movement ofthe switch 41. under the pull of the magnet 40and against theaction of. thespringg lz.

against the target and straightened before the stop 35 is pulled'back torelease the arm 34 and'let the blank be moved along by the belt 13. Whenthe blank passes the target the latter is pulled back to normal positionby the spring 33 to open the switch 38, and it remains open until thenext blank engages and moves the target.

From the foregoing it will be seen that during this adjusting operationone of the rollers 18, 18 slips on the panel A, and the other rolleradvances the panel D. When the front edges of all four flaps on thefront end of the blank engage the target, and bothrollers 18, 18 mustslip on the blank, the resistance to such slippingithen becomessuflicient to overcome the pressure exerted by the spring 33; and theblank will then push the target out of its path. When the rear end ofthe blank passes the target the spring 33 will pull the target back tothe position shown in solid lines in Fig. 4, the switch 38 will open,and the spring 42 will open the switch-41.

It will be understood that the specific machine illustrated and abovedescribed is merely one embodiment of the invention, and that variouschanges may be made in the details of construction and the arrangementof the parts without departing from the scope of the invention.

Having thus described our invention what we claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patents is:

l. A machine for squaring a box blank which hasbeen folded to bring itsopposite edges together but out. of

register, said machine including means for advancing the blank in thedirection of the fold lines, a stop in the path of movement of the blankand against which the blankaisforced by said advancing meaus, means forpositively preventing displacement of the stop bythe blank from the pathof the latter, and means responsive to pressure of the blank on the stopfor releasing said stop after a predetermined time interval to permitthe blank to displace the stop from said path.

2. A machine for squaring an inaccurately folded box blank preliminarytotaping together the abutting opposite edges thereof, said machineincluding a belt conveyor and cooperating driven rollers for advancingthe blank, a transversely extending stop in the path of movement of theblank and against which said belt and roller press the blank tostraighten it, means for yieldingly resisting displacement of said stepby the blank, means for locking said stop against further suchdisplacement after an initial limited movement thereof, and meansresponsive to said initial limited movement of the stop for releasingsaid locking means after a predetermined time interval during which saidconveyor has straightened the blankagainst said stop.

3. An apparatus for squaring the folds of an inaccurately folded boxblank, said apparatus including meansto advance the blank, 2. target. inthe path of movement of the leading. edge of the folded blank, saidadvancing means comprising devices for frictionally engaging; the

blank so as to pressthe latter against the target with sufficient forceto straighten the folds, a stop in the path of movement of the targetfor preventing other than limited movement of the target with the blankwhen the latter initially engages the target, and delay action meansresponsive to the said limited movement of. the'target-for releasing thetarget from said stop after a pre-determined time interval to permit theblank to move the target out of its path.

4.. A machine for straightening the folds of an inaccurately folded boxblank to square the blank, said machine including a conveyor belt foradvancing thefolded blank, a transversely extending stop in the-pathofmovement of the blank and against which the blank is pressed by saidbelt, driven rollers for pressing the blank onto saidbelt so as topermit the belt to press the blank against thezstopwithsuflicient forceto straighten the :folds, said stop. having yieldingly resistedmovementwith said blank;v meansfor. locking the stop against displacementby-:the blankfrom the path of the latter, and delayed actioumeansresponsive to a limited movement of the stop with the blank for ultimatelyreleasing said locking means after a predetermined time interval.

5. A box blank squaring machine having means for advancing a folded boxblank in the direction of its fold lines but permitting limited slippingmovement of the blank, a target in the path of movement of the blank forstopping the advance of incorrectly folded portions of the blank, meansfor yieldingly resisting movement of said target While the blank isbeing pressed against said target by said advancing means, a stop in thepath of movement of the target for limiting its movement with saidblank, an electromagnet for moving said stop to inoperative position,means responsive to an initial movement of the target for actuating saidmagnet, and means for retarding the stop-moving action of said magnetwhile said blank advancing means forces said blank against said targetand straightens said blank.

6. A machine for squaring a box blank which has been folded to bringtogether its opposite edges, and preliminary to securing said edgestogether, said machine including means for advancing the blank in thedirection of the fold lines, a single stop means in the path of movementof the blank and having limited yieldingly resisted movement with theblank, a locking device to prevent displacement of the stop means fromthe path of the blank, and delayed action means for releasing saidlocking device after said blank has been forced against said lockingdevice to square it for subsequent displacement of the stop from saidpath.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,874,671 Walker et a1 Aug. 30, 1932 2,068,163 Bowersock et a1 Jan. 19,1937 2,428,769 Bobst Oct. 14, 1947

